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Abel Highwind
Abel Highwind, later known as Cain, is an old hero of the Grand Alliance, thought to have been accidentally killed by his companion Raine in a fiery night of passion. He resurfaced many years later, however, this time going by a different name. He is currently a member of the Totenkopfs and one of the Master's Blessed. He ostensibly worked for the new Grand Alliance until the Alliance discovered his trickery and he was forced to flee back to the Totenkopfs. He also has ties to dragons and is able to understand their native dragonic tongue to an extent. Cain is the present wielder of the Gospel of Death which he used, along with Drishnek's unholy magic, to raise Dragon Matriarch Katla as the Dragolich and seize the dragon hatchling Delphyne during their visit to the Roost. Biography Early Years Abel Highwind's mother (from whom he was said to have inherited his dragon-blood) died in child-birth, and his father resented him for this. He grew up in Ravensworth, knowing only a quiet, neglectful father. He left home at the age of 18 without saying a word, and has not spoken with his father since. He went to make a living in Remonton, and moved from job to job. His rude behavior ensured that he never kept the same job for more than a few months, and most inns and taverns have refused to let him in after five years of starting brawls. He did manage to keep an apprenticeship with a blacksmith for nearly a year, though. He learned enough to make a fine spear, the Venus Gospel, for himself. The blacksmith recognized Abel's abilities, and gave him a set of iron greaves and boots to protect his legs. Soon thereafter, the blacksmith was mugged and killed by thugs in the streets. Abel was 22 at the time. Abel had been blacklisted by all but one inn by then--the Fool's Haven. The innkeeper Tarn threatened to throw him out on several occasions, but his daughter, Tanya, always pleaded with him to let him stay. Abel pitched in to help at the Haven in exchange for a bed to sleep in, and over the months he stayed there, he found himself reluctantly falling in love with Tanya. He used his trusty broom to keep the place clean, and matters remained relatively peaceful until a rag-tag group of wanderers entered the inn, bringing adventure in their wake. Distreyd Era The Journey Begins Tanya had always displayed impressive healing skills, and was rumored to have some relation to the goddess Artemicia. When her father presented her with an amulet and told her she must leave on a journey to Fragnar in 1000 AE, Abel gladly came with her as a bodyguard. Refan the thief, Mori'sul Agara the elven ranger, Leon and Bella the bards, Daven the mute Lefein engineer, and Wygar Sleetfort the merchant also accompanied them across the frigid wastelands of Northern Remon. It was around this time when Daven let Abel know something fascinating. According to Daven, ancient Lefein prophecies spoke of a man carrying a broom, who would one day unite the races of man and show the world the true meaning of love. Since Abel had had his trusty broom for quite some time and was rumoured to have the blood of Cardian kings in his veins, he began wondering if the prophecy actually meant him. He ended up being quite busy with various adventures, though, so he didn't dwell too much on the words of the prophecy. The heroes eventually split up into two groups, and a group led by Refan took one route to Fragnar whereas Mori'sul led the other. Mori'sul's group was attacked by a mysterious assassin, however, and they fought a long and bloody battle until the assassin was beaten and was revealed to be an agent of the Clergy of Mardük who revealed some terrible news about his master's plans. By the time the heroes got to Fragnar, Refan, Daven and Bella were already gone. Abel, Tanya and Leon helped Mori'sul defeat the anti-elven movement in Fragnar and thus caused a major setback to the plans of the Clergy of Mardük. However, no one could've known that the dark clerics had another, much more sinister plan in mind. Abel's memories of later years disappeared due to a surprising amnesia, and it would take him a while to remember what had happened in the "clouded" years. A New Mission Abel woke up in a strange abbey of the Clergy of Cardia in Aison three years later. The clerics there told him that they had rescued him from a great battle, the last stand of Remon against the invading Yamatians. It turned out that his amnesia had been caused by the dark magic of the Clergy of Mardük. The reinvigorated Abel left the abbey and travelled with Sonny del Mudero to the Roost, on a quest from King Byron Kagawest as part of Aison's defense against the advancing army of Yamato and the Clergy of Mardük. Abel wanted to return home to Remon to find Tanya, alive or otherwise. However, he knew that the continent was under control by the Yamato Empire and the Clergy of Mardük. He was lucky to survive his last encounter, and he was not so sure he would be as lucky in the future, so he decided to help deal with the looming Yamato threat in the land of Aison before travelling back to Remon. He knew deep in his heart that the only chance of repelling Yamato lay in uniting the three continents of Aison, Remon, and Libaterra, as well as the races of humans, elves, and dwarves. He was tired of ongoing interracial fighting which he had witnessed a lot in Remon prior to the Yamatian Invasion. He was also tired of continuous international bickering and isolation, but most of all, he was tired of being a shitty rip-off of two Final Fantasy characters living under the shadow of the Yamatian yoke. Adventures in Aison Abel and Sonny eventually reached the Roost where Abel briefly talked with a dragon, or a spirit... the experience was quite trippy so he wasn't quite sure which one it was. By the time he and Sonny got back to Paraiso, the Yamatians had already attacked Myridia and were expanding their bases to the rest of Aison. Time was running out for everyone. Some shit happened, and Abel decided to trek to the Magestar where a group of heroes had been summoned. The elder Magestar master Josiah Amdusias introduced the Aisonian heroes to BoB the Jaguar and entrusted them with a mission to travel to the Roost and find the Cricket Ball of Magic, the only magical item which could be used to oppose the great powers of Distreyd Thanadar XII, the true mastermind behind the invasion of Aison. The heroes eventually recovered the cricket ball but found out that it didn't work and needed a Lefein to operate it. As by chance Abel remembered Daven and told his new friends about him. It wasn't known if Daven was still alive, so the group decided to seek out the famous merchant Dorjan who might know where Daven was. Dorjan told them that Daven would likely still be in Remon, and he sent his apprentice Nicodemus Fowler to take the heroes to Remon. The heroes had some weird conversations with retarded dragons, met with Bunny Ninja Scar, fought against thousands of not-so-pink fluffy bunnies and took two cute girls named Shyralis and Viirsa Yuriev with them on their merry adventure. Joining the Alliance The Aisonian heroes sailed to Remon and reached Sanae in Folsworth Woods where the army of the Grand Alliance was growing stronger. They befriended the Alliance's leader, Marcus Sarillius, and informed him of their quest to activate the immense powers of the Cricket Ball of Magic. They also met Daven who tried to unlock the cricket ball's magic but surprisingly the item didn't work. One of the Alliance members, Rune, revealed that it would have to be activated in the ancient ruins underneath Lutherin. Realizing that they would first have to survive in Remon before continuing the journey, the heroes chose to join the Alliance and help them fight against the Yamatians and clerics of Mardük. They also met with various old friends among the Alliance members, and Abel was delighted to be reunited with his old friend Refan although Refan was all over Skye and thus paid more attention to her than anyone else. Abel also captured a dark cleric of Mardük who turned out to be none other than Tanya. She had been brainwashed and despite Abel's efforts she remained adamant. She managed to use her charms to severely injure Abel, though, and she stole his Venus Gospel and fled the Alliance camp. Abel was perplexed by this, and he wondered if Tanya could ever be released from the dark corruption of Mardük. The Battle of Folsworth Woods took place as the Alliance clashed with the Yamatian army led by Yousei Kaizoku. Abel followed Axikasha Keiran in a crazy plan to enter the Yamatian fort outside the woods, and Ax's crazy plan worked. In the ensuing chaos Abel defeated Egendaul Korath and recovered the Venus Gospel from him. The Alliance won the battle soon after, forcing Kaizoku and the remaining villains to retreat. Balls of Fire Abel enjoyed the heat of battle and he participated in the First Battle of Remonton by leading a strike team to the city to open the gates while another group led by Ax used the confusion to capture the Council of Regents which oversaw the entire Yamatian occupation force in Remon. The battle ended in victory but Abel was suffering from a heavy depression because he blamed himself for not being able to save Tanya. The Great War was far from over, though, because there were still other nations that the heroes needed to liberate from the Yamatians. During the voyage to Maar Sul, Abel had a surprise visitor in his cabin. His Aisonian companion Raine revealed his homosexuality and managed to use Abel's depression to make him sleep with him. The two had a fiery night of passion, but Raine accidentally cast a powerful fireball spell while in the throes of passion that night. Both men suffered heavy burns which were caused by Raine's violent premature Ejactulatinoamanum and his great balls of fiiiiiire. Although Raine barely survived this passionate encounter, Abel was presumed dead because only a pile of ashes remained where he had one stood. Descent into Darkness However, little did anyone know that Abel had in fact survived. Raine's fiery ejaculation had also had a side effect: it had burned parts of Abel's body but it had also teleported him away. As fate would have it, the heavily injured Abel came on shore in Ravensworth. He would certainly have died then unless a robed figure had saved him. The injured knight recovered in a hidden basement, and the figure revealed himself to him. Abel found out that the figure was known as the Master and that he had been recruiting members to a growing death cult known as the Totenkopfs. The Master used Abel's injuries (both in mind and body) and his guilt over having sex with Raine to manipulate him to turn to the dark side. Abel saw the truth behind the Master's twisted words and submitted himself to the Totenkopfs' ideals. To set himself apart from his once virtuous self which he thought had been tainted by his homosexual feelings for Raine, Abel began calling himself Dark Abel... in other words, Cain. Abel, who was now calling himself Cain, turned out to be a useful servant. He helped the Master achieve his goals on several occasions, and this impressed the Master enough that he made Abel one of his Blessed. The Great War ended when the Cataclysm struck the world, and the Master instructed Cain to stay in Ravensworth and recruit more members to the Totenkopf cult. Cain kept himself hidden from view because he knew someone might still recognize him as the former hero of the Grand Alliance. He chose to wait until the time was right to once again reveal himself to the world. Godslayer Era The Age of Emptiness More info later. On Death's Trail More info later. A Game of Deception More info later. Echoes of War More info later. A Crimson Dawn Cain and the rest of Ax's party rejoined the army of the Grand Alliance and marched to Maar Sul City. He remained in the ball to keep an eye on various people while a few Totenkopfs assassinated Belial in the tower of Koschei Dravaris. Cain acted surprised when the news of Belial's death reached the heroes, and he attended the count's funeral. He and the others learned that one of their companions, Khalid al-Saif, was in fact Belial's son and an exiled emir from the Sultanate of Karaganda. Although the Totenkopfs had scored a major victory by killing off a powerful enemy, Cain knew that his work was far from done; he still had to make sure that his companions in the Alliance would never find a cure to the Blood Fever. Tears of the Sun Cain accompanied Khalid to Vanna. He knew his old friendship with people such as Ax, Daven and Refan could still turn out to be useful, and he felt comfortable as he knew that the Master would be travelling along. More info later. The Winds of Wrath More info later. Sowing Season More info later. Devourer's Reach More info later. The Point of No Return More info later. A Cry in the Dark More info later. Aliases and Nicknames ; Cain : Abel adopted Cain as his official first name after the fiery encounter with Raine. He used this new name because he wanted to distance himself from his troubled past and because he believes he was born anew after the encounter and was no longer the Abel of old. ; Dragonborn : Also known as ''Dovahkiin in the dragon tongue, this is what dragons refer to Abel/Cain as due to his strange blood which seems to have some traces of dragon magic in it. Appearance Abel stands at 6'4" and weighs 220 lbs. His scraggly face is accented by high cheekbones, a roman nose, and eyes that are so brown they seem to be black. His blonde hair reaches to just above his shoulders. On his legs and feet he wears steel greaves and boots - the soles of the boots have many sharp spikes and cleats, both for puncturing and traction. He wears no other armor, and he wears a rawhide leather tunic and trousers. He wraps himself warmly in animal skins during the harsh Remonian winters. Personality and Traits Abel is rather vulgar and anti-social, but, at the same time, fiercely loyal to his comrades. However, when he adapted the name Cain and became a Totenkopf, his once noble ideals became twisted and he now treats people harshly and cruelly. He knows how to mask his new, insidious nature, however, and so far he has managed to fool even his old friends of his true intentions. Powers and Abilities Abel is skilled in the use of polearms. He has also become a master manipulator as Cain during his services in the Totenkopfs' ranks. He also has an affinity towards dragons, and although he cannot understand them per se unless they focus their efforts on making him understand, he can read their base emotions by their actions and body language. Innate Ability: Dragon Blood. Abel's innate ability was inherited from his mother. Quite literally, he had dragon's blood running through his veins. This allowed his muscles to become very strong with little training, and he had a nearly impervious immune system. However, like a dragon, he was cold-blooded, and could not warm himself naturally--he had to rely on external sources of heat, which was why he could usually be seen smoking his pipe. The effects of his dragon blood disappeared in the Cataclysm as did others' innate abilities. Relationships Kamen Grimgaze The Master saw Abel as a worthy minion and used the man's emotions to lure him to his side. Abel took the name of Cain and became a loyal supporter of the Totenkopfs' cause. He became one of the few people to know of the Master's true identity while most only knew the Master under the alias of Kamen Grimgaze. Raine Abel and Schtolteheim Reinbach III aka Raine bickered a lot but eventually bonded. Their bond grew stronger when Abel despaired over Tanya's treachery, and the two had a fierce, sexual encounter during which Abel was scarred. Raine eventually died, and Abel let everyone think he too had died from the mage's fiery embrace. Abel was deeply ashamed of his sexual orientation and disappeared from view until he resurfaced as Cain. Tanya Abel and Tanya loved each other, but fate had different plans for them. Tanya was captured by the Clergy of Mardük and twisted, and she was presumably lost in the war. Abel grieved her loss for a while, which made him emotionally unstable and ripe for the manipulations from the Master. See also *Delphyne *Fellowship of Magestar *Gospel of Death *Kamen Grimgaze *Katla *Schtolteheim Reinbach III *Tanya *Totenkopfs *Venus Gospel Category:Characters Category:Fellowship of Magestar Category:Grand Alliance Category:Humans Category:Remon Category:Third Age Category:Totenkopfs